Environmentalists Say Kerry Has 'No Choice But To Reject The Keystone XL Permit'

National environmental leaders say they are "confident" that Secretary of State John Kerry and President Barack Obama will eventually reject the proposed Keystone XL pipeline. "It wouldn't make sense to have taken such major steps forward … and then turn around and approve this project that is inconsistent with that leadership," said Tiernan Sittenfeld, senior vice president for government affairs at the League of Conservation Voters. "We're confident that at the end of the day, we're going to like the decision." The proposed 1,660-mile pipeline has been a key issue for environmental groups, which consider it a major test of the Obama administration's climate-change policies. Because the pipeline, which would carry up to 830,000 barrels of oil per day from Canada's oil sands to refineries in Texas, crosses an international border, it is up to the State Department to grant approval. State issued a final environmental impact analysis for the pipeline at the end of January, paving the way for Kerry to issue his decision. At an event Wednesday morning, representatives from the Center for American Progress, the League of Conservation Voters, and the Natural Resources Defense Council said they believe they will eventually prevail in defeating the pipeline. Panelists at the "Road to Rejection" event pointed to Obama's recent climate-related announcements, which included a proposed billion-dollar climate resilience fund as well as new fuel efficiency standards for heavy trucks. During a speech earlier this week, Kerry referred to climate change as "perhaps the world's most fearsome weapon of mass destruction."...more